By Larry C. Johnson
Sonar21
February 10, 2026
Pressure is building on Donald Trump to attack Iran. Besides the US carrier strike group that is positioned in the Arabian Sea south of Iran, the US is marshaling a significant number of air assets - primarily F-35s - in the region. More worrisome is that Israel's Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, moved his trip to the US up by one week... He was previously scheduled to arrive on February 18 but, at his request, advanced the meeting to February 11. Why the urgency?
We get our first clue from the Israeli press... The Zionist media is describing Netanyahu's upcoming visit to the United States as an urgent, high-stakes trip focused on Iran policy, amid recent US-Iran indirect talks in Oman and ongoing regional tensions. Coverage from major outlets (Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, and others) as of early February 8-9, 2026, highlights the following key points:
Purpose: The primary agenda is US-Iran negotiations, with Netanyahu aiming to press for a broader deal that includes limitations on Iran's ballistic missiles, support for proxies (e.g., Hezbollah, Houthis), and other threats beyond just the nuclear program.
Israeli Expectations: Reports (e.g., Times of Israel, Ynet, Jerusalem Post) indicate Netanyahu wants assurances that Washington will factor in Israel's security concerns. Some sources say he may present or discuss potential Israeli attack plans if Iran crosses "red lines" on missiles/nuclear issues. Israeli defense officials reportedly briefed US counterparts that Iran's missile program poses an existential threat, and Israel is prepared for unilateral action if needed.
Context and Urgency: The visit comes shortly after US-Iran indirect talks (February 6 in Oman), which Israel views skeptically. Media notes the push to expand the agenda beyond nuclear issues alone, as Trump has suggested a narrower deal might suffice. Coverage frames it as Netanyahu seeking to influence U.S. diplomacy to align with Israeli interests, especially after recent US sanctions on Iran post-Oman talks.
Last week's meeting between the US and Iran has ignited a Zionist freak out. Stephen Bryen's latest article on SubStack is illustrative - i.e., Iran and Rope-a-Dope in Oman. He writes:
If President Trump's idea is to drag out talks with Iran and end up with an empty bag, then his man is Witkoff. Because Witkoff is in the "negotiation" business. If he can't hold high level meetings, he has to go home. Witkoff is not a quitter....
Rope-a-dope is the Iranian strategy. Agree to nothing other than their "peaceful" intentions, and do that over weeks of "bargaining," and then tell the Americans to go home. That's why the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the talks in Oman "a good start."
Indeed they were. First off, the Iranians made it clear they would not discuss anything other than the nuclear issue. There could be no talks about missiles, or about internal matters (that is the protestors and the regime crack down that has killed tens of thousands). Moreover, the Iranians told the American delegation they would not discuss their right to enrich uranium, or talk about transferring already enriched uranium out of the country. (President Putin had already told Araghchi that Moscow would accept Iranian uranium if that was part of any deal, though it would still belong to Iran)....
The real tragedy is not just a failure to curtail the nuclear program. It is the US decision to allow talks to take place only by accepting Iran's going-in terms. Removing major issues, especially the fate of the Iranian people, is a huge mistake. It is even worse than the Trump administration's earlier declaration that the US is not seeking regime change in Iran, handing the Mullahs a huge victory at zero cost.
There are better ways to engage with the Iranian regime than the disaster in Oman.
The Israel Lobby and U... Check Amazon for Pricing. Stephen is an avowed Zionist, but he is not crazy like Smotrich or Ben-Gvir. Let me explain why Mr. Bryen's views of what took place in Oman last week is worthy of your attention. Stephen is a prominent US defense expert, strategist, and senior fellow at organizations like the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute. He served as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Trade Security Policy (1981-1988) under Ronald Reagan, where he founded and led the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA), focusing on controlling technology transfers to adversaries.
I know Mr. Bryen and like him. He is a respected analyst and usually writes articles that focus on facts rather than emotion. The piece I quoted above shows an uncharacteristic outburst of emotion and anger. If someone like Stephen is reacting this way then you know that the entire AIPAC crowd is up-in-arms. Donald Trump is facing unprecedented and enormous pressure from his Zionist supporters to strike Iran.
I don't know if the attack will take place this week or next week, but the political pressure from Trump's Jewish donors is white hot and shows no sign of abating. Trump's last meeting with Netanyahu on December 29 was a coordinating session on the attempt to fuel a color revolution in Iran. That failed. I believe Bibi's primary objective is to get Trump to pull the trigger on Iran.
This article was originally published on Sonar21.
Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC (Business Exposure Reduction Group).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License